Libraries adapt as needs change

By CATHY ZOLLO

Sunday

Aug 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 31, 2008 at 1:06 AM

Bookstore touches are transforming the library for the information age

Your local library may soon start looking a lot more like a bookstore, with walls of best-selling books, big living room-style spaces with comfy couches and chairs, space for readings and classes, and even a coffee kiosk.

A big shift for libraries has popular books coming out from the shelves and showing their faces -- along with CDs, videos and games -- on what some librarians call "power walls."

The bookstore touches have already made their way into several libraries in the region, and are one of the upgrades people will see as Sarasota County puts about $18 million into library projects in the near future.

The changes for Sarasota libraries were scheduled to come online over the next decade or so. But the county's $300 million bond that voters approved in May will bring many of them up to date over the next few years.

The $18 million will go for library projects including a new branch in Gulf Gate and renovations at some of the county's older libraries.

In Charlotte County, some patrons are already seeing the kind of service Sarasota wants to offer.

Customers at the new mid-county library are encouraged to order online, pick up and check out by themselves. Common areas are open, inviting and bustling with activity. Quieter areas for study are away from the library's center.

Last year, the county completed a five-year plan for library services that includes two new regional libraries in Punta Gorda and Englewood. Those libraries will include features like historical archives and museum pieces, said Angie Patteson, library manager for Charlotte.

Manatee County's main library is undergoing a $500,000 overhaul that includes better access for the disabled, new carpeting and new furniture. Other libraries in the system have also been updated.

Manatee Library Services Manager John VanBerkel said a shift similar to the one Sarasota and Charlotte are going through is farther down the road.

"We're not there yet," he said. "But that doesn't mean it won't come."

The willingness to change among librarians came after surveys of patrons found that they rarely raved about the depth of a collection or its organization.

"They tend to come and spend time at a library where there are friendly people, some comfortable seating," said Sarabeth Kalajian, who heads the library system for Sarasota County. "Maybe some aspect of the collection is important to them, but it's mainly just their basic need for information."

In the future, there will be fewer titles on display, but almost any book will be available through inter-library loan from across town or the globe. Sarasota patrons can already browse for books from the local collection online and order them for pickup at any branch.

Gone as well, for the most part, will be the Dewey Decimal System.

"This is a renegade trend in libraries to throw out Dewey and organize the collection in the way that people might logically find things," Kalajian said.

Much like a bookstore, patrons will find a career development section, exercise, finance and self-help sections and areas full of cookbooks, art books or science books.

This new model for libraries is not new. In 1998, the Richmond Public Library in British Columbia opened its Ironwood Branch in a retail space. Librarian Cate McNeely, a recognized visionary in her field, instituted changes that make it seem more like a high-end bookstore. Overnight, it was the most popular branch and dubbed "The Library of the Future."

Last year, the main library in the Richmond system followed suit, and circulation jumped 35 percent, said Beryl Jeffrey, manager of public services for the Richmond Public Library. Visits hover around 90,000 a month in a town of 175,000.

"We are a gathering place with not a lot of rules," Jeffrey said. "Bring a coffee, have a snack, browse, sit by the fireplace, watch the Beijing Olympics on one of our big-screen TVs, take your kids to our daily story time, fill up your shopping basket with good reads and head home to enjoy them."

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